Americanah In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, Americanah, Ifemelu, the protagonist, is a Nigerian immigrant in America attending college. Ifemelu runs a blog site about race. Her time in America is challenging and in the end, she returns to Nigeria. But while running her blog in America, she wrote many entries on how race and racism where a very prominent and lively issue in America today. One important entry is To My Fellow Non-American Blacks: In America, You Are Black, Baby. The entry focuses on how race is determined in America and ethnicity is non-existing, especially for blacks. In America, the lowest race in the hierarchy is black. White people dominate as highest ranking, followed by Asians, Hispanics, and practically anyone else
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The blog tells the reader not to argue, when they come to America, about where they are from because “America doesn’t care” (273). She tells the reader to admit why they don’t want to be considered black. It all comes down to what being a black person in America means, beginning with the fact that blacks are at the bottom of the social ladder (273). With a little reverse psychology, she asks what would happen if being black came with the privileges being white did? Would they deny being black? Now as for being black in America here is what that entails. It means acting offended when racial slurs are used in jokes, even when as a Non-American Black, you do not know what they mean; for example, “watermelon” and “tar baby” (273). When in a predominantly white crowd, if a black person nods you must nod back. The “black nod” is used to acknowledge the presence of other blacks so you know you are not alone (274). Black women in America have to be “strong;” therefore, when describing a black woman make sure to use the word strong. If a black person commits a crime, she warns her black readers to stay away from the crime scene because in America being black means you fit the description of the perpetrator. Blacks in America must be thankful for the opportunity they get for coming to America. When they have a racist encounter, they cannot be bitter when telling the story. Black people are not supposed to be angry when it comes to racism and if they are, to the white conservative, they are the true racist
The blog tells the reader not to argue, when they come to America, about where they are from because “America doesn’t care” (273). She tells the reader to admit why they don’t want to be considered black. It all comes down to what being a black person in America means, beginning with the fact that blacks are at the bottom of the social ladder (273). With a little reverse psychology, she asks what would happen if being black came with the privileges being white did? Would they deny being black? Now as for being black in America here is what that entails. It means acting offended when racial slurs are used in jokes, even when as a Non-American Black, you do not know what they mean; for example, “watermelon” and “tar baby” (273). When in a predominantly white crowd, if a black person nods you must nod back. The “black nod” is used to acknowledge the presence of other blacks so you know you are not alone (274). Black women in America have to be “strong;” therefore, when describing a black woman make sure to use the word strong. If a black person commits a crime, she warns her black readers to stay away from the crime scene because in America being black means you fit the description of the perpetrator. Blacks in America must be thankful for the opportunity they get for coming to America. When they have a racist encounter, they cannot be bitter when telling the story. Black people are not supposed to be angry when it comes to racism and if they are, to the white conservative, they are the true racist